Pumpkin Protein Balls

Delicious pumpkin protein energy balls made with wholesome ingredients like almond butter, oats, and ground flax alongside fall-inspired flavours including pumpkin, spices, and pecans. These easy pumpkin energy bites taste like dessert and are a satisfyingly nutritious snack to enjoy when your sweet-tooth strikes!

Our Registered Dietitians love protein energy bites as an energizing snack or satisfying dessert. A dietitian on our team, Courtney, loves storing protein energy bites in the freezer to enjoy as an evening snack alongside a cup of tea. The combination of protein, fibre, fat, and carbs in the energy bites contributes to steady blood sugar levels and the sweet flavour makes them the perfect option for those who enjoy something sweet at the end of the day!

You’ll need a handful of simple, nourishing ingredients to make these tasty pumpkin pie protein energy bites. They’re made with real pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice for a fall-inspired flavour. You'll need the following ingredients.

• Pumpkin puree:  pumpkin puree to give the energy bites moisture and pumpkin flavor. Make sure you choose 100% pure pumpkin puree at the grocery store and not pumpkin pie filling. You can use the leftover pumpkin puree to make pumpkin curry or pumpkin spice muffins!
• Almond butter: almond butter helps the balls stick together and offers a source of healthy fat, fibre, and vitamin E. Feel free to sub the almond butter for a different nut butter like peanut butter or mixed nut butter. We love using almond butter in baking including our wholesome muffins and FEED protein bars.
• Maple syrup: the maple syrup helps the balls stick together and offers sweetness. You can sub our the maple syrup for honey!
• Pecans: We love the crunch, fat, and fibre that the pecans offer. You can sub out pecans for a different nut or seed like walnuts or pumpkin seeds. 
• Spices: we used pumpkin pie spice in these bites but feel free to use your own spice combination like cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, etc.
• Nutritional boosters: we boosted up the nutrition, fibre, and fats with the addition of ground flax. 
• Protein powder: the protein powder is are key source of protein in these bites. We have several recipes with protein powder including our coconut & cashew protein bars and peanut butter protein bars. If you choose to omit the protein powder, you can replace it with an extra ½ cup of oats.
• Rolled oats: these pumpkin energy bites get a boost of carbs and fibre from oats. We use oats in a variety of recipes including protein pancakes and muffins!
• Chocolate: the chocolate drizzle is optional but we find it makes the bites more decadent. Feel free to sub white chocolate for milk or dark chocolate!

PUMPKIN PROTEIN BITES

INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup (60g) pecans (sub walnuts)
• ½ cup (110g) pure pumpkin puree
  
• ½ cup (120g) almond butter (sub peanut butter)
• ¼ cup (80g) maple syrup
• 2 scoops (60g) vanilla protein powder*
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tablespoon ground flax
• 1⅓ cups (120g) rolled oats
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• optional chocolate drizzle: 2 tablespoons (30g) white chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon coconut oil.

* you can replace the protein powder with an extra ½ cup of rolled oats if preferred

DIRECTIONS

1. Add all ingredients (except for the white chocolate and coconut oil) to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until well combined. The texture will be thick and crumble-y and you will still notice chunks of pecans. If the mixture is wet, add more oats. 
2. Cover the dough and let it chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This will make the dough easier to roll into balls. Then, use a medium cookie scoop or spoon to grab dough and then roll into balls. The recipe yields about 15 protein balls. Place the pumpkin bites on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer for 15-30 minutes.
3. Add chocolate chips and coconut oil to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 20 second intervals until chocolate is melted. Use a spoon to drizzle the chocolate over the balls. Place the balls back in the freezer for 15 minutes. Then, transfer to an airtight container and store in the freezer.
4. Enjoy them straight from the freezer as a satisfying snack, pre-workout fuel source, light breakfast, or dessert. If they are too hard, let them sit at room temp for 5-10 minutes before eating.

NOTE: Use any leftover pumpkin puree to make pumpkin curry or pumpkin spice muffins!

KITCHEN TOOLS

• Food Processor
• Cookie Scoop
• Baking Tray
• Air-tight Container

DIETITIAN TIPS

Our team of Registered Dietitians work closely with their one-on-one nutrition coaching clients to menu plan for their personal goals or for their family's unique needs. Our dietitians work closely with clients to determine when and how to use snacks for their unique goals, preferences, and nutrient needs. Our nutritionists love to recommend snack options (like these pumpkin protein bites!) that include protein, fibre, and/or fat to keep blood sugars stable!

WANT TO LEARN HOW TO BUILD MEALS FOR YOUR GOALS?

Our team of Registered Dietitian support clients through nutrition counselling and coaching to teach them how to build balanced meals and snacks to reach their specific goals. After working with our dietitians you'll understand how to build meals to suit your preferences and have concrete meal and snack ideas to implement into your day! You can book with a dietitian here to get started on your journey!